


Keeping Pace

by banjkazfan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M, Running, Surprise Ending, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 12:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14136483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banjkazfan/pseuds/banjkazfan
Summary: Ignis runs a marathon with Gladio.He's less worried about his time than what happens after he crosses the finish line.





	Keeping Pace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mahbecks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahbecks/gifts).



> Happy birthday to mahbecks, who's been one of the best friends I could ever ask for! You're so sweet and such a good friend, and I'm really happy this fandom brought us together :)
> 
> Google is going to think I'm preparing to run a marathon with all the googling I did for this (and I still feel like it wasn't enough info looool). This is 3000% not the case, especially after reading everything that goes into it If you're able, _more power to you_ because I sure can't.

“Iggy.  You sure about this?”  Gladio turned and gave the other man one last appraising look.  “You’ve never run a marathon before.” Maybe the moment when everyone was gathering at the starting line wasn’t the  _ best _ time to broach the subject, but he’d been asking for days and Ignis had waved him off.  Repeatedly.

“That I haven’t,” Ignis agreed, bending at the waist to grab his toes and properly stretch his calves.  It was maddeningly distracting, and Gladio couldn’t help but watch him do it before forcing himself to go into his own stretches.  “But I have been training with you for months.”

“That you have,” Gladio was forced to concede.  He wasn’t sure what this was all about - Ignis wasn’t one to go for marathon running, not really.  He supported Gladio in his endeavors and had shown up at many races over the years to meet him at certain spots where Gladio suspected he’d need the boost.  It was almost comical how just a simple, quick kiss as he passed Ignis was enough to really pick him up for another few miles.

But yeah.  Running was more Gladio’s thing.  Ignis was fit and strong, but his workouts were often quite different.

“Is it truly so odd that I might wish to do something with you?” Ignis asked, raising his eyes up to Gladio’s face.  His own expression was implacably calm and didn’t betray the fact that his stomach was starting to churn for reasons  _ other _ than the fact that he was about to buckle down and run 26.2 miles - a number that had been haunting him from the beginning of this endeavor nearly half a year ago.

Gladio couldn’t help the way his lips curled in a fond smile.  Ignis always knew just how to get to him, saying just the right thing that caught him off guard and always made him melt.  “Not when you put it that way,” he said warmly, and Ignis knew he was off the hook for now. His shoulders relaxed infinitesimally and he faced forward. 

Like with everything else in life, his plan of attack was beginning to form. 

When they all lined up, Gladio leaned over to give him the quickest kiss and a smile. “Hey,” he said. “Doesn't matter what place you come in.”

“I'm aware,” Ignis retorted. “But thank you for the reminder.” Oh, he was incredibly aware his place didn't matter. And he knew damn well he wasn't taking home any ribbons today. But if all went to plan, he'd be coming away with a far greater prize. 

But. That was 26.2 miles off. Ignis took his starting position and put it out of his mind for now. 

He glanced out at the small crowd assembled and smiled when he spotted Noctis and Prompto almost instantly. It was natural that they'd wanted to be there for he and Gladio both, and he was heartened to see them there, even though Noctis was yawning so widely his mouth looked like a black hole about to pull Prompto in. The blond gave Ignis a thumbs up before turning his attention to his camera, and Ignis faced forward again. 

And when the starting gun went off, he kept his focus on the race and not what came at the finish line.

***

Running the marathon let Ignis see parts of the kingdom that he never got to see on a daily basis, but he didn’t have the time to appreciate it now.  Everything was beginning to blur together as he focused all of his energy on maintaining his pace and continuing to breathe.

He’d lost sight of Gladio quite some time ago, but that was to be expected.  His pace was better than Ignis’, as he’d been doing this for far longer, but for now Ignis was content to just...finish.

He just hoped that he wouldn’t finish  _ hours _ after Gladio.  Ignis would be mortified if he didn’t roll up to the finish until after dark only to find Gladio waiting patiently with a smile on his face.

_ I am not that hard off, _ Ignis thought with a grumpy noise.

Ignis noticed that he was approaching a stop point and did a quick mental calculation.  Though he had been hydrating with his water pack as he’d gone, it would be good to stop and refill and to take a breather.  He’d been going about twelve miles by this point - nearly halfway, he reminded himself.

Ignis slowly sipped his water, taking a moment to reorient himself, and lifted his head when he heard a voice calling his name.

“Hey, Iggs!” Prompto called, grinning and quickly snapping a picture of Ignis.  He looked at the viewfinder and his face fell when he saw the small frown on Ignis’ face.  “Aww, come on,” he protested. “You don’t have to make a face at me! This is exciting!”

“Prompto, I would rather your photos of me be flattering and not of me dripping in sweat,” Ignis responded dryly.  “Take a better one at the finish line, won’t you?”

Prompto’s smile changed then, and he nodded.  “I got you, Iggy,” he promised. He watched as Ignis refilled his pack and gave him a thumbs up.  “Ready to get back in there?”

Ignis nodded.  “That I am.” But then he noticed Prompto was alone.  “Have you lost Noctis?”

Prompto shook his head.  “Nah, he’s with Iris. They’re getting to the next wait point.”

“I see.”  Ignis put his pack back on and straightened it.  “Well, then. I suppose I will see you on the other side.”

Prompto grinned. “Gotcha,” he said.  “You can do it, Iggy!”

With a wave, he sent Ignis off on his way, and the adviser took a deep breath to get the oxygen back in his lungs before setting off once more.

He was nearly halfway there.  He could do this.

***

Around mile 18, Ignis was beginning to reassess.  He  _ could not _ do this.

His pace had crawled to a slog and his breath was coming heavier.  His body was just refusing to cooperate, and at this rate he wasn’t sure that he would be able to finish.  He’d heard of people who were removed from the course by medics, and right now, Ignis was terrified that he would be one of those people.

He stopped, slowing down to barely walking, and he took a slow, pained breath.

He couldn’t do this.  He'd hit the wall.

All he could focus on was how much he  _ hurt _ , on how much his muscles burned, and how it felt as if everything was shutting down.

But then he remembered what would be waiting at the finish line for him, what he was going to do, and he exhaled hard through his nose.  No, he  _ had _ to do this.  Bowing out now was not an option, especially not when he was so close.  He had fewer than eight miles to go, and he was  _ not _ going to stop here.  Not when he had to get there and to see Gladio.  To…

Ignis shook it off and stood a little taller, removing his pack and digging in it.  He found the energy bar at the bottom of his bag and opened it up. Maybe...maybe if he ate it and took it slowly, he could still finish.  His time would be horrendous, of course, but he would at least finish.

Eight miles.

He could do this.

***

Gladio was proud of his time - 4:02:07.  He’d improved from before, and he was damn pleased.  Sure, he didn’t come in first or anything, but he was still happy with his accomplishment.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for his boyfriend.  He kept looking up, watching the finish line to see when Ignis would cross.  He’d been waiting about half an hour by that point, with Iris, Noctis, and Prompto crowding him with excited cheers, and he was starting to get a little concerned.  There were a few people he’d heard didn’t cross the finish line after hitting the wall, and he hoped Ignis wasn’t one of them. While he was pretty sure Ignis would limp his way across the finish line rather than let the medics take care of him, Gladio still didn’t want to see him push himself that bad.  Gladio frowned, wondering again why Ignis had decided to do this out of nowhere.

Did he really just want to be with Gladio that much?  The thought made him smile despite his concerns.

He didn’t need to worry.  Right as he thought that, he looked up and saw Ignis making his way towards him.  He wasn’t running anymore, but he was definitely still moving, and Gladio let out a whoop as Prompto and Noctis clamored loudly as well.  Ignis gave them a tired smile and continued his pace as he crossed the finish line.

The next few minutes was a cluster of Ignis getting his time (4:58:25; not bad for someone who had literally never run a marathon before) and rehydrating himself just enough that he didn’t make himself sick before he was finally able to get over to his friends.

Iris was the first to get to him, grabbing him tightly and hugging him.  “I’m so proud of you!” she shouted. “You kept pace with Gladdy for so long; you should be proud of yourself!”

“Yeah,” Noctis chimed in.  “You kept up with him for a while.  Awesome job, Specs.”

“Dude, I don’t care if you’re slower than Gladio, you’re still faster than me,” Prompto laughed.  “You’re amazing, Iggy!”

Ignis managed a chuckle as he took a sip of water.  “Thank you,” he replied. Frankly,  _ he _ was impressed with himself as well.  He’d managed to finish a marathon; it wasn’t something that just anyone could do.

He’d never do another one, but he understood why people would.

A low chuckle pulled him from his thoughts.  “Look at you,” Gladio said, his voice radiating pride.  “You did it.”

“So I did,” Ignis breathed, smiling back up at Gladio.  His breath was knocked out of him as Gladio enveloped him in a hug, but he couldn’t help but laugh airily and return it.  He was exhausted and his  _ everything _ ached, but he’d made it.

Now there was just one final test.

“Awesome, you two!” Prompto crowed in excitement.  “Get together so I can take a picture of you!”

Gladio, grinning wildly, slung an arm across Ignis’ shoulders and pulled him in close.  He surprised Ignis with a quick kiss to the temple, which Prompto gleefully shot as well, and Ignis laughed again.  There were definitely some endorphins flowing through him right now; he felt free and on top of the world.

Noctis ambled over to Ignis, squeezing his shoulder and grabbing his hand in a firm shake.  The motion definitely looked a little awkward, but when Ignis felt firm velvet pressing into his palm he understood and he nodded.  “You did good,” Noct said, and Ignis gave him a smile.  _ As did you, Noctis. _

He glanced over, finding Gladio occupied with talking to Iris.  Ignis took a deep breath. His heart was racing and he wasn’t sure if it was because of what he’d just done or what he was about to do.

Well.  It was now or never.

He turned away and crossed to the siblings, giving Iris a smile as he approached.  “Gladio,” he said, willing away his nerves.

“Yeah, babe?”  Gladio turned to him, missing the shining look that Iris shot Ignis.  “What’s up? Ready to get out of here?”

“In a moment, I should think.”  Ignis closed his hand a little tighter behind his back, feeling the velvet in his palm as if he were trying to memorize it.  “I have something I need to ask you first.”

Gladio’s eyes darkened slightly with confusion.  “Sure. You good, Iggy?”

“Quite.”  Ignis smiled.  He’d practiced this part so many times, written out exactly what he wanted to say, but that was all slowly going out the window in favor of speaking from the heart.  “Gladio. For years you’ve challenged me in all the best ways. I feel my best self knowing that we’re working together and teaming up - even beyond our work, this is true.”  He swallowed. “And today I pushed myself further than I ever have, and I did it because you knew I could.”

“Aww, Iggy,” Gladio laughed quietly, though he was clearly still a little confused.  “So exhaustion makes you sappy, huh?”

Ignis slowly got down to one knee and Gladio’s expression morphed into one of alarm.  “Iggy, you okay?!” Gladio quickly knelt as well, reaching out to see if Ignis was keeling over from fatigue, and Ignis want to laugh with how thoroughly Gladio was missing the point.

“I’m more than, because you’re with me.”  Ignis smiled at Gladio. “And Gladio, I want you to stay with me.”  Taking a deep breath to center himself, he brought the velvet box from behind his back and opened it, revealing a simple silver band.  “Forever, if you’ll have me.”

Prompto was sure to snap a picture of the way Gladio’s mouth dropped as he looked at Ignis, then at the ring, and then back at Ignis.  He was clearly caught completely off guard, and it was a delightful picture that Prompto knew Ignis would want to savor forever.

Ignis looked up at Gladio with a warm, earnest expression.  “Gladio. Will you marry me?”

“Iggy…”  Gladio blinked hard, looking down at his boyfriend, and then he laughed.  “Did you run an  _ entire marathon  _ with me just to propose at the end?”

“Yes, well, I expected to finish closer to you than I did,” Ignis muttered, ears burning in shame.  He was glancing away and thus was unprepared for when Gladio hugged him tightly.

“Your time doesn’t matter,” Gladio murmured against his ear.  “I’d wait forever for you, you know that.  _ Yeah, Iggy, _ of course I’ll marry you.”

The kiss pressed to Ignis’ lips sealed the deal, and the way his blood pounded in his ears deafened Ignis to the cheers of their friends and the flash of Prompto’s camera.  His heart was racing, and this time he knew exactly why.

He smiled against Gladio’s mouth.  Well, he couldn’t mind his timing too much.  After all, he had the rest of their lives to keep pace with Gladio.


End file.
